Top 10 best attacking midfielders of 2023: Ranked

Published at :December 23, 2023 at 5:03 PM

Modified at :December 27, 2023 at 5:56 PM

These names may not have been in the news but they were one of the main reasons behind their team’s success

Attacking midfielders of the highest grade are like gold dust in modern football. The role of an attacking midfielder has been constantly evolving, especially over the last decade or so. Today, it has become one of the most important and versatile roles in modern football. Attacking midfielders are responsible for creating chances, scoring goals and linking up play with their excellent vision, passing range, dribbling, shooting and flair.

These attacking midfielders are industrious, combative and intense, all while maintaining their creative and technical qualities in the same breath. Attacking midfielders are now defined as those players who stray further forward than the traditional box-to-box central midfield player, but still maintain their defensive duties throughout a full 90 minutes. Too highly revered on the ball to be lumped in with ‘normal’ centre-mids, not high enough on the pitch to be regarded as a second striker looking to benefit off of a striker’s flick-ons.

While systems around Europe are starting to phase out the classic attacking ten, there is still the need for creative midfielders to pull strings, whip in free kicks and score the odd banger from a distance. Here are the top 10 best attacking midfielders of 2023:

10. Dani Olmo – RB Liepzig & Spain

After starring in Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb, Dani Olmo joined RB Leipzig midway through the 2019/20 season and played a big role in Die Roten Bullen’s progression to the Champions League semi-finals under Julian Nagelsmann. Olmo’s close control is also mesmerising to watch and makes him decidedly difficult to play against.

Olmo is incredibly good in 1v1 situations, he is excellent at drawing defenders to him when in possession. On top of all of his attacking traits, Olmo is a hard worker and very quick. He has a terrific range of passing too, and he isn’t just someone who can play tidy passes to split open defences. He is brave on the ball, can switch play in an instant, and weight passes perfectly to drop over the top of full-backs to release wide players.

9. Lorenzo Pellegrini – AS Roma & Italy

A deep-lying playmaker who can play as a central midfielder or as an attacking midfielder, he boasts an exceptional passing ability and the ability to time his run in the box to perfection, combining a pinpoint vision with world-class off-the-ball movement. A tall, physically strong, yet agile, dynamic, energetic, and hard-working midfielder.

He is a player with a great vision for the game, capable of destabilizing the opposing defence by threading passes in between the lines or drifting to any position to make an inch-perfect cross and create a goal out of nothing. He is a player who can adapt to any system of play with good stamina, positional sense and finishing.

8. Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen & Germany

Wirtz is an extremely difficult player to define. There is a strong sense of fluidity and freedom to his positioning although he features primarily behind the striker or wide on the left. What instantly stands out is his knack for finding space either between the lines or away from central congestion where he can receive the ball, turn and feed to his teammates.

He boasts innate quality in the final third, whether it is his ice-cold finishing, late runs into the box or executing the final pass there is conviction and timing to his actions that lean towards decisiveness.

7. Dominik Szoboszlai – RB Leipzig/Liverpool & Hungary

Still only 23 years old, Szoboszlai has the potential to become one of the best players in world football. He is a fast and agile player who can beat defenders with his dribbling and movement. The Hungarian also has the defensive work rate to complement his attacking attributes, making him a perfect addition to Jürgen Klopp’s squad.

Dominik Szoboszlai’s ball-striking is among the very best in the world and his knack for pulling off the spectacular could easily see him emerge as a compilation merchant. There’s plenty more to come from Szoboszlai but he’s already one of the most talented attacking midfielders in the world.

6. Martin Ødegaard – Arsenal & Norway

Once a wonderkid signed by Real Madrid at just 16 years old, Odegaard is finally fulfilling the hype that surrounded him in his teenage years. Still only 25, the Norwegian playmaker is already Arsenal’s captain and is leading by example on the pitch. Odegaard is blessed with a tidy left foot and is one of those players who boasts a wonderful ‘feel’ for the game. He understands timing and can pull off almost every pass in the book. His playmaking capacity has to be considered among the very best in the world.

Arsenal is exactly where he belongs, and in this environment, he is showing the all-around quality in midfield that Madrid didn’t seem to think he had in terms of helping the defence and consistently progressing play.

5. Jamal Musiala – Bayern Munich & Germany

Jamal Musiala Bayern Munich Real Madrid — **Jamal Musiala scored the title-winning goal for Bayern in 2022-23 season**

Everyone knew Jamal Musiala would end up being a special player, but the fact that he is this good, this quickly is a testament to his sheer quality. The teenager has already established himself as a bona fide star in Munich with Bundesliga tyrants Bayern, scoring the goal that helped his side pip Borussia Dortmund to the title in 2022-23.

Musiala can perform multiple roles but excels in an attacking midfield position due to his instincts in and around the box. He’s an excellent dribbler, while his movement in the final third is really good. At 20 years old, Musiala is already the best player on one of the most prestigious teams in world football, creating a high volume of chances for others and proving impossible to stop in tight areas.

4. Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid & France

Antoine Griezmann’s all-round talent makes him a viable option to play anywhere in attack or midfield. Griezmann combines the goalscoring instincts of a number nine with the creative qualities of a 10. He relishes dropping into deeper positions to receive passes to feet before turning and advancing play with a pass, but he also advances into the penalty area and has more close-range chances than most traditional 10s.

In addition to his ability to score and create goals, he has also been praised.sed for his work rate, attacking movement, positional sense, and ability to interpret the game, which, combined with his pace, mobility and energy, enables him to make effective attacking runs to beat the defensive line. Griezmann is an accurate finisher with either foot from both inside and outside the area, and is also good in the air and accurate with his head, despite his relatively small stature.

3. Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United & Portugal

An attacking midfielder, Fernandes is a direct, energetic box-to-box playmaker who is capable of both taking on defenders and setting the rhythm of play. Fernandes boasts a prolific goalscoring record from the midfield position. He frequently shoots from outside the penalty area, particularly with his right foot, which is a significant strength and involves him gaining both power and accuracy when shooting across the goal.

2. Bernardo Silva – Manchester City & Portugal

Bernardo Silva Barcelona Dani Olmo — **Bernardo Silva was a key part of Manchester City’s treble win in 2022-23 season**

The Portuguese playmaker has been one of the most consistent performers for Manchester City since he joined them from AS Monaco in 2017. It’s hard to pin down particular positional rankings to put Bernardo Silva in because he could’ve gone into most of them. The Portugal international is a brilliantly tidy player who can also provide a bit of cutting-edge when needed.

Bernardo Silva is a versatile attacking midfielder who is comfortable playing on both wings or as a central midfielder. He possesses great dribbling skills and is capable of running at defenders with the ball at his feet. His close control and ability to change direction quickly make him a difficult player to defend against. He is also an excellent passer of the ball and has the vision to create chances for his teammates.

1. Jude Bellingham – Dortmund/Real Madrid & England

We all mocked Birmingham City when they retired Jude Bellingham’s number 22 shirt following his transfer to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, but the Blues have had the last laugh as the 20-year-old is the complete package Already the leading goal-scorer in LaLiga, Bellingham has ended up being the most important piece of the puzzle in Madrid’s quest to make do without Karim Benzema.

Bellingham’s leadership, football intelligence, work ethic, and other intangibles have been massive, but his end product has truly been defining. Jude Bellingham’s first few months at Real Madrid have been like something from a blockbuster: last-minute winners, Man of the Match performances and the world copying his celebration.

For all he brings to the table as a progressor, goal-scorer, defensive presence, and creator, Bellingham is quite clearly the best. The goals are mere page numbers in this incredible story: the performances, too, are breathtaking.